Iron Curtain: An Economic Mess

The Communist bloc's economic news was
pretty bad last week, even by Communist standards. There was the Soviet
Union, admitting that its industrial production has not risen as fast
as planned (see THE WORLD). In Cuba, where the economy has tumbled to
80% of pre-Castro levels, the government moved to halt the decline by
making President Osvaldo Dorticós economics minister and central
planning board chairman. That was not all. Communist China's economy
has produced more bad news than goods, and Russia's growing difficulties with
Rumania are largely the result of its efforts...